Sharpton: Where are Bush, Clinton?

Rev. Al Sharpton on Monday called out former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and other potential presidential candidates for what he sees as keeping quiet on the death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown and the situation in Ferguson.

“I’m amazed that we’re not hearing from leading [presidential] candidates — Chris Christie or [former Florida Gov.] Jeb Bush, or Hillary Clinton,” he said on MSNBC.

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“[A]ll of these candidates — I land in New York this morning and I see Chris Christie dancing with Jamie Foxx,” he added, a reference to a video obtained by the New York Post that showed Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and Christie dancing at a party hosted by the comedian in the Hamptons this weekend.

The civil rights leader said that anyone vying for the presidency in 2016 should have to weigh in on the events in Ferguson. “This is now a national, central issue, and anyone running for president needs to come up with a formula or — in my opinion — they forfeit their right to be taken seriously.”

Neither Christie nor Clinton has made major public statements regarding the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Brown, a black teenager who was killed by a white Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson. Clinton was also in the Hamptons this weekend for a book-signing event.

At a press conference last Friday, Christie mentioned Ferguson in a discussion about law enforcement. “Whatever happened in Ferguson, we have a justice system in this country that will be able to make that judgment, and if there are people that need to be held accountable, I’m confident they will be,” the Republican governor said. “But I’m not going to get into this business of generalizing against law enforcement officers. It’s not right.”

Sharpton — who has visited Ferguson at the invitation of Brown’s family — weighed in on a preliminary autopsy that showed Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head. The report — first obtained by The New York Times — found that there was no gunpowder on Brown’s body, suggesting that the bullets might not have been fired at close range. Michael Baden, who conducted the autopsy, said that determination could change depending on whether gunpowder is found on Brown’s clothing, which has not yet been examined.

“What is disturbing to me is the amount of shots — which means even if we buy the story that the police is giving — why were there shots after the first shot?” Sharpton said Monday. “And, that they were not shot at close range,” he said, adding that the report was “extremely disturbing.”

Sharpton also said that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s decision early Monday to deploy National Guard troops to Ferguson could have “explosive” consequences.

“This could be explosive. The National Guard raises concern. I might be turning around and going right back,” he said, suggesting he might return to Ferguson.